Traffic & Alcohol Cases
Traffic and alcohol cases are reported to the Department of Public Safety in Austin, identified with your child's driver's license number or social security number and birth date. Courts are also required to report juveniles who fail to appear for court or who fail to pay their fines, resulting in an administration suspension of the juvenile's driver's license.
Record
A record is kept, but is not used against a young offender to establish guilt or innocence. It is considered when recommending appropriate penalties after conviction. It is not used in criminal proceedings against that person when he or she becomes an adult.
Open Records
While not all juvenile records are open to the public, most Class C misdemeanors are public record. For example, if your son or daughter enters the military or seeks a security clearance, the possibility exists of an independent investigation revealing one or more Class C misdemeanor convictions on the public record. Determining whether or not that would be a problem depends on several factors. These factors may include the outlook of the prospective employer, the type of offense, the level of security clearance sought, whether or not the application was truthful, etc. It is possible to have certain types of juvenile criminal records sealed or expunged under special circumstances CCP 45.0216.